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Camembert de Normandie

France is, of course, knowns for its spectacular cheeses. As we moved into lockdown in early spring, I asked my friend Jennifer Greco, who is an expert on French cheeses as well as a culinary tour guide in Paris, if she’d share her ten favorite French fromages. While waiting for the country to open back up again for visitors from everywhere, I was holding on to this terrific post, where she presents her favorites top ten favorite cheeses. – David

10 Favorite French Cheeses

by Jennifer Greco

Cheese is recognized throughout the world as one of France’s most prized contributions to gastronomy, and tasting exceptional French cheeses is usually high on the list for visitors. France produces somewhere between 1400 to 1600 cheeses (according to the French dairy farmers), so shopping at a fromagerie or a market means being faced with shelves and cases of all shapes and sizes of cheese. You will likely spot a few familiar names such as Swiss Gruyère, Brie de Meaux, and Roquefort, but it can be an intimidating experience.

For the last fourteen years I’ve been on a project to taste every cheese produced in France and am hovering around the 400 mark. I’ve scoured the fromageries, and the covered and outdoor markets in rural Normandy, the south of France, and in cities such as Lyon, Marseille and Paris, and have compiled a short list of French cheeses I think you should try on your visit. Choosing just ten wasn’t easy because I love them all! However if I had to narrow it down, the following would make up the cheese board of my dreams…

Le Beaufort Chalet d’Alpage

Beaufort is a mammoth, 20 to 70 kilo (45-154 pound) hard, unpasteurized wheel of cheese produced in the Savoie region of the French Alps. There are three categories of Beaufort, and Beaufort Chalet d’Alpage has the strictest regulations and is the most scarce, with only about 15 producers still employing its time-honored production method. 

The more common Beaufort AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée – a strict set of regulations protecting French food and wine) is delicious in its own right, and made in cooperative dairies between November and May from the milk of cows that graze in mountain valleys. The guidelines for wheels that carry the Chalet d’Alpage indication require that every summer the dairy cows – Abondance and Tarine breeds only – are led higher up to Alpine pastures that are over 1500 meters (almost 5,000 feet) in altitude, where they graze on lush fields of herbs and mountain flowers. The cheeses are made twice a day, starting right after the cows are milked, and only the milk collected from a single herd for 100 days of every summer, between June 15 – October 15, can be used to make Beaufort Chalet d’Alpage. Additionally, these special cheeses must be curdled and molded into alpine chalets following traditional methods, then taken down from the mountains at the end of the season, where they are put into cold aging cellars for at least five months. If deeper, more complex flavors are desired, they may be aged another year or two. 

In terms of flavor, this is an elegant cheese with concentrated notes of hazelnut, warm butter, caramel, and sweet grasses. On the nose, it’s both floral and fruity. Beaufort “Chalet Alpage” is not easy to find, so if you spot it at a cheese shop, I highly recommend buying a wedge. 

Le Carre Corse

When I’m in the mood for a strong cheese with layers of complex umami flavor and an unforgettably funky aroma, this is what I buy. 

Carré Corse is a young, ewe’s milk, washed rind cheese produced in the northern part of the Mediterranian island of Corsica. Washing a cheese’s rind repeatedly in either beer, wine, spirits, cider, or in this case, a salt brine, is a common way to age and add flavor to the finished cheese. The washed rind cheese are often the most “fragrant” cheese, but their strong aroma can be deceptive as it doesn’t necessarily mean the cheese’s taste is strong. Carré Corse is an exception to that rule; it is potent on both the nose and flavor.

This cheese is rich and complex, with flavors of purple grapes, dulce de leche, and hazelnuts, and the aroma is a heady mix of yeast, sweet hay, and animals, reminiscent of standing in a barnyard.  But don’t let that scare you! This is truly a delicious cheese.

Le Rovethym

Every spring an abundance of young goat cheeses from all over France arrive at the fromageries. It is goat cheese season! 

For a few months of every year, between November and March, when the animals are pregnant and don’t naturally produce milk, many farmers stop cheese production completely to respect the breeding cycle. And while goat cheese is available and made all year long (sometimes producers will freeze cheese curds or farmers will use “tricks” such as lights that mimic the summer sun so they breed off-season), the spring, summer and early autumn months are the best time to enjoy fresh, young fromages de chèvre.

In the early 2000s, the son of a cheesemaker, Pierre Pradier, established his own farm in the Haute-Provence with a small herd of Rove goats, a breed that is native to the region and known for its distinctive twisted, lyre-shaped horns and for producing very rich, concentrated milk. In the hills of Provence, and all along the Mediterranean basin, aromatic herbs such as thyme, rosemary, lavender, and winter savory grow wild. These woody herbs, known as la garrigue, make up the spring, summer and autumn diet of the goats and sheep that graze on them. 

He combined the words Rove and thyme (thym in French) to create Rovethym. It is shaped by hand into a distinctive quenelle shape that is adorned with a sprig of thyme, so very easy to spot at the fromagerie. This is a young, unpasteurized cheese, best eaten when it’s just a few weeks old. It has a very dense and sticky texture with notes of citrus, thyme and other aromatic herbs. I love to eat it drizzled with honey!

Le Cremeux du Mont Saint-Michel

La Fromagerie de Pain d’Avaine is located less than 20 miles from le Mont Saint-Michel, an enchanting island off the coast of Normandy that is crowned with a stunning medieval monastery and is a world-renowned cultural and religious site. When cheesemakers Jean-Charles and Caroline Rabache founded their cheese-making facility and created this cheese in 1998, they decided that naming it after their famous neighbor was an obvious choice.

Devoted to la vache Normande, cows known for producing top-quality milk that is exceptionally rich in protein and butterfat, and prized for cheesemaking, their cheeses are made solely from the milk and cream that arrives daily from a small-scale, neighboring farmer who raises about 50 Normandy cows. 

Le Crémeux du Mont Saint-Michel is a double cream cheese, which means that full-fat cream is added to the curds during production, resulting in a cheese that is decidedly sumptuous in both texture and flavor. Chalky and tender when young, the cheese becomes runny and oh-so-buttery as it ages. There are distinct notes of mushroom, grass, and, of course – cream. As the French would say, “C’est une tuerie!” (It’s to die for!)

La Fleur du Maquis

Don’t be intimidated by this herb encrusted, sometimes mold-dusted, cheese. La Fleur du Maquis is not strong. It is sweet, delightfully rich, and the herbs and fluffy layer of mold mean only one thing – flavor! 

Also known as le Brin d’Amour (a twig or sprig of love), this is an unpasteurized ewe’s milk cheese that has been produced on Corsica since the 1950s. The prickly looking rind is made up of le maquis, an aromatic mix of native herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, mint, oregano and marjoram, that grow wild on the island. The individual fresh cheeses are hand-coated with the dried herbs, sometimes topped with juniper berries and small chilies, and left to ripen in humid cellars for at least two weeks, or up to several months.

The rind has distinct notes of nuts, crème fraîche, and, not surprisingly, fragrant herbs, which are soft and perfectly edible. The snowy white center of the cheese is well balanced with flavors of tangy buttermilk and mild honey. I sometimes have to convince people to try this cheese, and when they do, it often becomes their favorite on the cheeseboard.

Le Soumaintrain

This cheese is a flavor bomb! Soumaintrain is a cow’s milk, washed rind cheese produced on the Champagne/Bourgogne border, and you might be familiar with its cousin, Époisses. As previously mentioned, washed-rind cheeses usually emit powerful aromas, but their flavors can be soft and mild. Soumaintrain’s rind is washed for several weeks in a combination of brine and Marc de Bourgogne, a French eau-de-vie made in Burgundy, similar to grappa. This repeated washing attracts good bacteria to the cheese’s rind, which adds to its flavor and gives it a distinctive smell.

Its texture is soft and smooth, and it is often sold in a wooden box to protect its fragile, thin rind. A young Soumaintrain will be firm in the center, with acidic and lactic flavors, while a five to six-week-old Soumaintrain, at its peak ripeness, will be oozing and creamy under the rind and have a much richer, nutty, almost meaty flavor. On the nose it is earthy and it often reminds me of hickory-smoked bacon.

La Taupiniere

La Taupinière, (molehill in French), was created by farmer Gilles Jousseaume in 1973 on his farm in the Poitou-Charentes region of western France. The small, family-owned operation believes in respecting their products, “from start to finish.” They grow all the grain the goats eat, which supplements their diet of fresh grass, resulting in a cheese that has a consistent quality and an intense, deep flavor.

A natural, blue-grey mold dots the thin, ash-covered rind of this dome-shaped, unpasteurized goat’s cheese. The center is snowy white and its texture can range from soft and fluffy when it is young, to dense and creamy as it ages. La Taupinière’s flavor is concentrated and tangy, with fresh milk and hazelnut notes, and mushroomy, lactic aromas. They also make a smaller version called la Taupinette.

Le Saint-Marcellin

Saint-Marcellin can be enjoyed in various stages of affinage (ageing): At two or three weeks old it is still firm and sliceable, but at five or six weeks, it becomes delightfully oozy and often sold in small earthenware crocks to keep the runny center from bursting through its thin rind, which is just how I like it.

The flavor of this cheese develops as it ages. A young Saint-Marcellin will have notes of citrus, salt and grass, and an aged version will be more barnyard-y, nutty and yeasty. It is produced from both pasteurized and unpasteurized cow’s milk (the unpasteurized is better in terms of texture and flavor) in the Rhône-Alps region and my all-time favorite producer is Mère Richard for their cheese’s well-balanced flavor and meltingly soft texture.

Hercule

This hard cheese takes the nutty flavor of ewe’s milk and combines it with the tangy acidity of goat’s milk, resulting in a fromage that is buttery and rich, with an agreeable hint of sweetness on the finish. It is aged between nine to twelve months, and with such perfectly balanced flavor and caramel richness, it’s easy to understand why this one is a crowd-pleaser.

It is produced by Dominique Bouchait, who is a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (an official designation, and honor, that denotes someone who is considered a “best craftsperson” in France) in cheese. Hércule, and a small range of other ewe’s milk cheeses, are fabricated at his fromagerie in the Pyrénées, Les Fromagers du Mont-Royal

I highly recommend M. Bouchait’s beautifully photographed and informative book about cheese, Fromages: An Expert’s Guide to French Cheese, which was translated from French to English last year. 

Le Camembert de Normandie

A cheese simply labeled Camembert can easily be mistaken for the genuine French fromage, which is actually called Camembert de Normandie

A true Camembert de Normandie is au lait cru (made from unpasteurized milk), hails from the Normandy region, and tastes slightly salty, grassy, earthy and fruity. It has a fluffy, mold-covered rind with heady aromas of butter, cruciferous vegetables and mushrooms, whose interior is creamy and pale yellow. It is not the rubbery textured, pasteurized, bland cheese that is often found for sale around the world. Once you’ve come to France and tasted the real deal, you’ll never look at a pasteurized, industrial camembert the same way.

The people of Normandy have a wonderful nickname for their beloved cheese; they refer to it as les pieds de dieu or “the feet of god.” It stands to reason.


Jennifer Greco is a life-long Francophile and French food and wine enthusiast, with an unabashed passion for cheese. After moving to the south of France almost two decades ago, she has steadily been tasting her way through each and every cheese produced in France, a project that started one day on a whim and that has developed into a full-fledged infatuation. To date, she has tasted just under 400 of the approximately 1500 cheeses in France.

Jennifer is now based in Paris where she leads gourmet food and wine tours, and guides fellow fromage lovers during small group tastings both privately, which can be booked through her website, and with Paris by Mouth. In her spare time, she writes about regional French cheeses on her blog, Chez Loulou, and for a handful of publications, while studying to earn a French Wine Scholar certificate. 

Text and photos in this post by Jennifer Greco. (Except for the photo at the top of the post.) You can stay in touch with Jennifer by following her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

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67 comments

    • Allison

    Delicious! I’m enjoying some Beaufort with breakfast this morning!

      • Jennifer

      Beaufort for breakfast? Sign me up!

    • Bonnie L

    Wow! What a fabulous resource. Great bucket-list of cheeses! Thank you, Jennifer.

      • Jennifer Greco

      I’m glad you enjoyed reading it, Bonnie. Thank you!

    • Pat Milito Strauss

    Interesting. Wish I could try them all. Well, honestly, wish I could go to France.
    What does the % mg stand for?

      • Jennifer GRECO

      The % mg means the percentage of “matière grasse – i.e. the fat content.

    • Francois de Melogue

    awesome list – but where is Vacherin and Epoisses (and really L’AISY CENDRE)… I guess we could go on forever.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Yes, there are a lot of great cheeses but I asked Jennifer to do her “top 10” due to space : )

      (A great guide to French cheese is the DK French Cheeses book, which lists over 350 varieties!)

        • Francois de Melogue

        Thanks for the response. I have that book… As a self proclaimed cheese addict I probably have eaten at least 2/3rds on that list

    • K

    Are any of these available in the US?

      • Jennifer Greco

      Some are, and some are not, due to the US rules about importing young, unpasteurized cheeses.
      Also, a few of these are made by a small farm or a single producer, so they don’t produce enough to export.
      A couple of good websites for French cheeses are fromages.com and murrayscheese.com.

        • Jean-Louis Carbonnier

        Comté is available from all top cheese boutiques in the US, as well as from quality supermarket such as Wegmans, Whole Foods, Central Market, in addition to the websites mentioned above.
        Comté makes a cameo appearance in the Beaufort photo :)
        Fortunately, Comté does not suffer from US importing rules or current tariffs.
        Sanere manus!
        (p.s. We are the US correspondents for the Comté PDO.)

    • Judy Morris Lampert

    What a wonderful resource! Thank you. Is it possible to get a PDF version of this article, to keep for better times, when travel begins again?

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I don’t know if it can be downloaded as a PDF but you can print it out and keep it, or bookmark it on your phone or computer.

        • James Heath

        Adobe can convert from word to pdf or vice versa but not for free.

      • Frank Que

      Usually if you go to File-Print on the browser Menu Bar, “Microsoft Print to PDF” should be one of the printer options. Just keep track of where it saves the file. Nitro PDF has a free version of its program to convert and save files to .pdf format, including browser pages.

    • Angela De Marco Manzi

    David, I have been following Jennifer for years (as I have you) and I am so happy to see this post by her and you. Thank you so much for this.

      • Jennifer Greco

      Thank you for following, Angela. :)

    • Hilary Purcell

    Jennifer is the BEST! I highly recommend her wine & cheese course in Paris. Very informative and so fun! ❤️

      • Jennifer Greco

      Thank you, Hilary! I can’t wait to see you and your family back in Paris.

      • Susan Riggs

      What a great post, thank you so much for sharing this list. I believe I have heard of about 2-3 on the list, but think I have only eaten one, maybe two.
      I will be saving this for my next trip to Paris. My trip this year, unfortunately, was canceled, and I was so looking forward to eating cheese every day, maybe even twice a day!

    • dale sevig

    where do i find info on your tours hope to be in paris net spring

      • Jennifer Greco

      You can contact me directly at louloufrance@gmail.com to arrange a tour or a tasting. Hope to see you in the spring!

    • James Heath

    Adobe can convert from word to pdf or vice versa but not for free.

    • Marie Pekar

    My very favorite, Livarot is not included.
    When I lived in Santa Fe, Whole Food Market would special order it for me.
    Years ago my flight from Paris was delayed, until the Pope departed, so I browsed the gourmet market in waiting area, bought several cheeses, including Livarot. Needless to say I was embarrassed that the entire flight smelled it’s aroma.
    No one complained much to my relief.

    • Denise Adamson

    Jennifer is so good! We did a workshop with her a few years ago and all the cheeses were wonderful (as was the wine). Enjoyed it so much and learned a lot…she knows her !

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Yes, she is (that’s why I asked her to do the post…) I want to do a tour with her, too!

        • Carrie

        Can I come with? This was fabulous. Drooling.

      • Jennifer

      Thank you, Denise!

    • Sheila

    Reading about these cheeses brings back fond memories of barge trip on the Canal du Midi. One of the highlights was the cheese course we enjoyed each evening. The owner/captain was a true connoisseur and treated us to some lovely selections. Wish I could go back and taste them again but reading about them is the next best thing – thanks!

      • Nathalie

      Great post, Jennifer! Have you ever tried cheeses from Lorraine or Alsace? I think uou’d like them.

        • Jennifer

        Thank you! I’ve tasted Munster and had a great local cheese platter when I visited Strasbourg. Really love the wine from the region!

          • Nathalie

          I think you’d love the Géromé or the Gros Lorrain

    • Monica Brown

    Thank you for this post! Can’t wait to get back to France to try these cheeses. Anything recommended by Jennifer is a “must” for me.

      • Jennifer

      I can’t wait until you can get back! We’ll have to celebrate your return to Paris with lots of cheese.

    • Mumbie

    Apple computers also have a PDF conversion in the Print dialog.

    Oh but those cheeses look divine!
    than you Jennifer X

      • Jennifer

      You’re welcome!

    • Taffy Holvenstot

    Wonderful much appreciated article! Thank you David (and Jennifer!)!

      • Jennifer

      Glad you enjoyed it!

    • Karin Roos

    Question : what is the other place for French cheese in the US beside Murray’s ?
    Thank you

    • Karin Roos

    Question : what is the other place for French cheese in the US beside Murray’s ?
    Thank you
    And no I did not ask this question before

      • Jennifer

      Fromages.com is a great website. iGourmet.com also has a selection.

    • Marilyn A R

    My mouth is watering. I will save this post for my next (dreaming of) trip to Paris. A cheese tasting sounds so good.
    Wonderful photos,too. Thank you.

    • Gina

    Your photos are mouth watering. I must get to Cowgirl Creamery soon!

    • Margaret

    Thank you for this post Jennifer — very interesting. I used to buy Saint-Marcellin in the little blue crock at Central Market in San Antonio, Texas but sadly it’s not sold there now.

      • Jennifer

      So sorry to hear that you’re not able to find Saint-Marcellin anymore. Maybe ask them to stock it again?

    • María

    On a trip to France in 1986 I “discovered” Reblochon (it was new to me), which at the time was not available in the U.S. Since then a favorite pastime has been tasting the lesser-known French and Spanish cheeses (not many, sadly) available near me. Thank you for this wonderful list, which I shall keep for a future trip across the pond!

      • Jennifer

      I love Reblochon!

    • Fritz

    Having had the privilege of having tasted all the cheese types advised by Ms Greco, and many more to boot, I can only compliment her on this excellent choice!

      • Jennifer

      I’m happy that you agree, Fritz. :)

    • Nathalie

    Great post! Very informative, including to French people living in France and being cheese lovers. Will definitely bring the list at my next visit chez le fromager. Thanks!

    • Ellen A.

    Now I am motivated to lose a kilo or two just so I can indulge in a cheeseplate with at least three of these delightful and unusual choices. Thank you, Jennifer and David!
    P.S. Would be interested to see suggestions for selecting the range of cheeses for a cheese plate, which condiments to serve alongside, and which cheeses are typically meant to be consumed on bread or crackers, and which to eat by themselves with knife and fork. Perhaps you’ve already done this, David, and I should search your archives!

      • Liz C

      At an everyday family meal, I would say most French families simply eat a couple of bites of 2-3 cheeses with bread, or without bread if you’re trying to lose weight! Or even a single cheese. My in-laws never serve crackers or condiments like chutneys at home (in fact they consider chutney an “anglais” habit of mine, haha). You find these things at fancier restaurants of course. A cheese plate is always about balance and harmony, so one hard cheese, one fresh/young cheese, one goat and/or sheep, one blue – you get the idea.

        • David
        David Lebovitz

        I’d agree with Liz C about how most French people each cheese; simply with bread, or without. We sometimes eat it on pain azyme aka: matzoh, if we’re trying to not overdo it on the bread, for the reason mentioned by Liz ; )

        Chutneys, jams, and dried fruit and nuts are rarely served at home, as she mentioned as well. I wrote a lot more about how to serve cheese, as they do in France, in my book My Paris Kitchen.

        • Jennifer GRECO

        I agree with David and Liz C. At home the cheese is the focus. When I asked a French cheesemonger friend of mine what he served with cheese, his response was, “a baguette and wine, that’s it.”

    • Ellen

    This wonderful, thank you for sharing it with us!

    • sukie

    What a fantastic list – thank you. I have a technical question: where do they get such a variety of cultures? I’ve always wondered since the US has such a limited variety. This is probably a basic question but I know nothing about cheese. Thank you!

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Some of it is terroir which is the concept that food tastes like where it’s from due to a confluence of factors, like weather, soil, atmosphere, etc, which vary from region to region, hence the milk from Normandy used to make Camembert du Normandie will be different from the milk used to make Comté, a nutty mountain cheese as the cows are different, as is the climate and what they eat. Another factor is how the cheeses are ripened; in small wheels vs large, and how long, and under what conditions. So it’s rather complicated but that’s a basic run-down : )

      France has a very long tradition of making cheese and the U.S. doesn’t have the same history, and culture, but there are really great cheeses in the U.S. now as well, and many do win prizes in international tastings. But you’re right that they are limited most likely because people in the States just don’t consume cheese as much as the French do, due to traditions.

    • Liz C

    My family and I spent a week in Arêches, just up the mountain from Beaufort, this August. It was lovely to see the beautiful brown cattle everywhere, to wake up to the sound of cow bells, and, when hiking, see the mobile milking stations used when the cows are in the alpages over the summer. We are so fortunate still to have dedicated farmers, looking after small herds using traditional methods to make our food. The cheese was delicious of course, as was the local cream and yogurt! It is my top French cheese!

    • Don DeVries

    Wonderful article about great cheeses. I wish I had read prior to my trips to France, however always found great cheese at local markets. My memories bring back the ripeness of the cheeses in those markets as I read the article.

    • BelleD

    Pardon my ignorance but can you add notes on rind edibility? These cheeses look amazing and I want to do them justice. The one with the moldy herbs rind looks especially divine. Is it ok/safe to consume the rind? When is it not safe to eat the rind of a cheese?

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      It’s generally safe to eat most rinds. The question is: Will eating it affect the taste of the cheese? Something like a rind covered with twigs isn’t likely to be pleasant, and some rinds are heavily moldy, astringent, and won’t taste good. Other cheeses, like Brie and camembert, eating the rind is a personal taste. Some French people don’t eat it as the taste is too strong for them, while others do enjoy it. (Like I do!) Hard-rind cheeses like Comté, Beaufort, and Salers, personally, I wouldn’t eat the rinds as they roll the cheeses down the floors of the cheese caves to move them as they’re so heavy, but I have French friends that like the rinds. Basically it comes down to personal preference but when in doubt, you can ask the vendor at the cheese shop.

        • B.G. Berg

        Wonderful, informative answer – thank you!

      • Jennifer

      Belle – David’s answer is spot on. The rind of that particular cheese is perfectly edible and super delicious.

    • Guillemette

    Great post!
    My God! I’m French and I know less than half of these cheeses!
    This shows how regional this product can be!
    Le Crémeux du Month Saint Michel looks like the Brillat Savarin. Do you know it? Is it any similar?
    Thanks for sharing the cheese love!

      • Jennifer Greco

      Glad you enjoyed reading the post, and I agree that cheese can be so regional.

      Le Crémeux du Mont Saint Michel is more like a Chaource than a Brillat-Savarin. Worth trying!

    • Don Edge

    My greatest pleasure is a ripe Epoisses with a Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuissé.

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